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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

New COVID-19 cases below 20,000 for 2nd day as virus wave subsides

This photo shows a quiet COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing station at a community health center in Seoul's western district of Mapo, Oct. 3. YonhapKorea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 20,000 for the second consecutive day Tuesday, extending the declining trend as the virus wave is subsiding. The country reported 16,423 new COVID-19 infections, including 106 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,848,184, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Tuesday's count is up from 12,150 the previous day but a significant drop from 39,410 a week earlier. Fewer tests from the extended weekend appear to have also affected the decrease in infection numbers. Korea marked National Foundation Day on Monday. The latest virus wave, triggered by the Omicron variant spread, has been waning after peaking at around 180,000 cases a day in mid-August. The public health agency reported 19 deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, raising the death toll to 28,528. The number of critically ill patients stood at 353, down by eight from the previous day. Reflecting the viru

Oct 4, 2022
New COVID-19 cases below 20,000 for 2nd day as virus wave subsides

Nursing home visitations to resume on Oct. 4

A daughter hugs her hospitalized mother during her visit to a nursing home located in Daejeon City, June 2021. YonhapBy Lee Yeon-wooStarting Tuesday, people will be allowed to visit their elderly relatives at long-term care facilities in person. Elderly people who receive their second booster of a COVID-19 vaccine will also be permitted to leave their facility and stay out overnight. Due to the COVID-19 resurgence this summer, in-person visits were suspended in late July.A steady decrease in the daily number of infections and a more than 90-percent rate of vaccination with the second booster of the residents of such facilities has led the government to decide to loosen restrictions, the Central Disaster Management Headquarters (CDMH) said Friday.Under the eased rules, any visitors confirmed to be negative through the use of COVID-19 self-test kits will be allowed to hold hands with and hug their elderly relatives.However, facilities should still follow several quarantine rules. They should receive visitors' reservations in advance, check visitors' self-test kit results to ensure they

Oct 3, 2022By Lee Yeon-woo
Nursing home visitations to resume on Oct. 4

New virus cases under 30,000 for 3rd day amid waning virus wave

This photo shows a COVID-19 testing center for international arrivals at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, Oct. 1. YonhapKorea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 30,000 for the third straight day Sunday as the virus wave has been gradually slowing down, coupled with fewer tests over the extended weekend.The country reported 23,597 new COVID-19 infections, including 246 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,819,611, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.The tally was down from the 28,497 reported Friday and 26,960 Saturday.The latest virus wave, triggered by the spread of a highly contagious Omicron variant, has been on a decline since mid-August, when it peaked at more than 180,000 cases.The fall in the virus count Sunday is also attributable to less testing over the extended weekend that includes the Oct. 3 National Foundation Day.The country reported 44 more deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday, raising the death toll to 28,489. The number of critically ill patients came to 353, down three from a day earlier, the KDCA said. (Yonhap)

Oct 2, 2022
New virus cases under 30,000 for 3rd day amid waning virus wave

Korean government pressed to lift indoor mask rules

Elementary students in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, attend class wearing masks, May 27, 2020. Newsis Korea only OECD country still mandating masks for all indoor settingsBy Lee Hyo-jin Calls are growing for the government to ease indoor mask rules in Korea, as it remains the only OECD member country requiring masks to be worn in all indoor settings. Other countries such as Denmark, Israel, Italy and Germany have eased their rules somewhat, obligating people to wear masks in certain spaces and situations, most critically in medical institutions and nursing homes and on public transport.A growing number of parents and doctors are demanding that the mandate to be lifted specifically for children of elementary school age or below, arguing that prolonged mask wearing has harmed young children's language and social learning.Shin Min-hyang, head of the solidarity of human rights for parents and students, a civic group against mask mandates, strongly believes that masks do mor

Sep 30, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Korean government pressed to lift indoor mask rules
  • Korea to lift post-entry PCR testing requirement Saturday

Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall below 30,000 amid waning virus wave

A makeshift COVID-19 testing station in Seoul remains empty on Sept. 28. YonhapKorea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 30,000 on Friday, as the virus wave has been gradually slowing down in recent weeks.The country reported 28,497 new COVID-19 infections, including 276 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,769,101, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.The daily count grew to nearly 40,000 on Tuesday from around the 20,000 level but has since been constantly decreasing. The comparable figure for a week earlier came to 29,097.The virus wave, triggered by the spread of a highly contagious omicron variant, has been on a decline since mid-August, when it peaked at above 180,000 cases.The country reported 42 deaths from COVID-19 on Friday, raising the death toll to 28,406.The number of critically ill patients came to 352, down by 11 from a day earlier, the KDCA said.As the virus wave has subsided, the government has eased antivirus measures to better support people's return to normalcy.Starting Saturday, the country will remove a COVID-19 polymerase chain re

Sep 30, 2022
Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall below 30,000 amid waning virus wave

PM calls for swift containment measures against African swine fever

Quarantine officials block an entrance to a pig farm in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. YonhapPrime Minister Han Duck-soo on Thursday called for officials to swiftly carry out containment measures against the African swine fever, with the nation having reported two new outbreaks of the disease.The disease was confirmed at two separate pig farms in Gimpo and Paju, Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday, marking the first outbreaks in the province since October 2019.The authorities slaughtered around 3,715 pigs in the two cities combined to try to stem the spread of the disease, and issued a 48-hour standstill order on the pig farms and related facilities through 5 p.m. Friday.So far this year, the country reported six ASF cases, including Wednesday's cases.During a virus response meeting, Han said that the situation in Gyeonggi Province "is more stringent than ever because many pig farms are concentrated." Han instructed the agriculture ministry to swiftly implement containment measures, and urged tight vigilance in areas where the disease has recently been reported, or adjacent to a

Sep 29, 2022
PM calls for swift containment measures against African swine fever

Korea's new COVID-19 cases under 40,000 for 3rd day amid eased virus curbs

People take COVID-19 tests at a makeshift testing station in Seoul on Sept. 28. YonhapKorea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 40,000 for the third straight day Thursday as the virus wave has been gradually slowing down.The county reported 30,881 new COVID-19 infections, including 252 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,740,635, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.It marks a sharp decline from the previous day's 36,159.The virus wave has been on a decline after a resurgence in July that later peaked above 180,000 cases in mid-August.The country reported 46 deaths from COVID-19 on Thursday, raising the death toll to 28,364. The number of critically ill patients came to 363, down by 12 from a day earlier, the KDCA said.As the virus wave shows signs of subsiding, the government on Wednesday decided to reduce the number of hospital beds reserved for COVID-19 patients in phases.Currently, some 7,400 beds are set aside for COVID-19 patients, and some 20 percent of them are occupied. Of the total, 1,477 will be used for other general patients by Oct. 7, a

Sep 29, 2022
Korea's new COVID-19 cases under 40,000 for 3rd day amid eased virus curbs

Mask manufacturers feel pinch amid eased rules

Employees work at a mask manufacturing factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, March 6, 2020. Joint Press CorpsBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea grappled with a severe shortage of masks in early spring 2020, when face masks seemed to be the best protection against the coronavirus before the arrival of vaccines and treatments. People had to line up at pharmacies and retail stores to buy face masks amid explosive demand and limited supply, while the government came up with a public distribution method ― a five-day rotation system under which people could buy two masks per week on designated days according to their birth year.Hundreds of small manufacturers that rushed to produce face masks enjoyed a boom following the implementation of the mask mandate, which was first adopted indoors in October 2020 and then expanded to outdoors in April 2021. According to data from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the number of mask manufacturers, which stood at 137 in January 2020, increased by more than 10 times to reach nearly 1,600 as of December 2021. However, these businesses are now on the verge of

Sep 28, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Mask manufacturers feel pinch amid eased rules

Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall to 12-week low for Wednesday count

People wait to undergo COVID-19 tests at a makeshift testing station in Seoul, Sept. 28. YonhapKorea's new COVID-19 cases fell to around 36,000 Wednesday, hitting the lowest for a Wednesday count in 12 weeks, as the virus wave has been gradually slowing down.The country reported 36,159 new COVID-19 infections, including 379 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,709,789, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.It marked a slight fall from the previous day's 39,425. A week earlier, the figure came to 41,269.The virus wave, triggered by the spread of a highly contagious omicron variant, has been on a decline after a resurgence in July that later peaked above 180,000 cases in mid-August.The country reported 46 deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday, raising the death toll to 28,318. The number of critically ill patients came to 375, down by 26 from a day earlier, the KDCA said.As the virus wave has subsided, the government decided to reduce the number of hospital beds reserved for COVID-19 patients in phases.Currently, some 7,400 beds are set aside for COVID-19

Sep 28, 2022
Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall to 12-week low for Wednesday count

Deaths in Korea hit record high last year amid rapid aging, pandemic

An old man walks with his care worker in this undated file photo. Korea Times fileThe number of deaths in Korea hit an all-time high last year due largely to rapid aging and the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Tuesday.A total of 317,680 people died in the country last year, up 12,732 people, or 4.2 percent, from the previous year, according to the data from Statistics Korea.The 2021 tally marked the largest since 1983, when the statistics agency began compiling related data.The crude death rate ―- the number of deaths per 100,000 people ― came to 618.9 last year, the second-highest ever, the data showed.The spike in deaths was mainly attributable to rapid aging, and COVID-19 was the No. 10 cause of death for women last year, according to the agency.Cancer was the leading cause of death last year, with 161.1 deaths per 100,000 people. Cancer has been the No. 1 cause of death in the country since related data was compiled.Heart-related diseases ranked second with 61.5 deaths per 100,000 people, followed by pneumonia with 44.4 deaths.The number of deaths from the COVID-19

Sep 27, 2022
Deaths in Korea hit record high last year amid rapid aging, pandemic
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